Nooroo: Dark Wings Rise
by Mythril Moth
Summary: Hawk Moth has been defeated. Peace has returned to Paris. But the nightmare isn't over. Nooroo, once the unwitting slave of a cruel master, has developed a taste for chaos and mayhem. When the Butterfly Miraculous falls into a new pair of hands, Nooroo convinces his new master to revive the evil Hawk Moth and unleash a new campaign of terror upon Paris...
1. Superstar

**Author's Notes:**

Hello, dear readers! For those of you awaiting updates to my other Miraculous Ladybug stories, they're coming...eventually...I promise! This is just how my creative process works; if I have a new idea, I have to run with it even though I've got like, way too many unfinished stories going...

Anyway, this is just an idea I had recently that wouldn't let go, and it's been simmering in my mind until I had a flash of inspiration and added enough details to actually sit down and make a go of it. Hope you enjoy!

There are a few spoilers for already-aired season 2 episodes, as well as some vague speculations and presumptions.

Oh, and if you're wondering about that Green Lantern... _thing_...I posted a few days ago, that's not going to be continued. It's a terrible idea and I'm washing my hands of it.

* * *

"Huh, so this is how it all works?" a soft, low voice asked, glancing at a piece of jewelry cupped delicately in pale hands.

"That's right," a high-pitched voice said. "Now, why don't we have a little fun?"

The person holding the delicate little butterfly brooch looked up, eyes full of doubt. "What do you mean by 'fun'?"

The tiny lavender creature floating in the air gave a wicked smile. "You remember how it was before, right?" it said. "Every few days, someone would be Akumatized, go crazy, cause a lot of chaos in Paris. Then Ladybug and Chat Noir would come along and stop them."

"Well, yeah," the person holding the Butterfly Miraculous said, frowning. "It caused a lot of problems for everyone, and..."

Tiny eyes narrowed. "But it sure was a lot of fun to _watch_ , right? All those crazy supervillains, and the superheroes fighting them..." The smile turned brighter. "And they always win, and Ladybug always fixes all the damage, so it doesn't really _hurt_ anything, right?"

"Umm..."

The smile turned dark again. "You know, a certain girl who's bullied and harassed a _lot_ of people _usually_ caused most of the Akumas. In fact, it got to a point where _he_ paid a _lot_ of attention to her, because he _KNEW_ he'd be able to work with whatever she gave him. And every time one of her victims was Akumatized, they terrorized her...and doesn't she deserve it most of all?"

"W-well..."

"Come on. Think about it. You can scare that spoiled little brat, cause some havoc, sit back and enjoy the show...and Ladybug and Chat Noir always win, so there's no real harm, right?"

"I...I don't know..."

"Come on," the little lavender creature wheedled. "Try it. Just once. I think you'll like it."

The person holding the Miraculous swallowed heavily. "W-well...maybe just once? Just to see how this all works?"

"That's the spirit!"

"So, uhh...what do I do?"

An evil smile. "Pin it to your shirt, then say..."

 **NOOROO: DARK WINGS RISE**

* * *

Five months had passed since the defeat of Hawk Moth.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste were now in their first year of lycée, and in a committed relationship. There'd been hurdles along the way—the revelation of their secret identities to one another had been shocking, traumatic, and tumultuous, and the presence of Kagami and Lukas as romantic distractions during collège had not helped matters when the time came—but as Ladybug and Chat Noir, they had put an end to the machinations of Hawk Moth, recovered the Butterfly Miraculous, and returned it to Master Fu.

When certain truths had come to light in the final confrontation, a veritable maelstrom of changes had followed. Adrien had been shocked, outraged, and confused when they had finally unmasked their arch enemy, and had very nearly killed him in a blind rage. Thanks to Ladybug's intervention, they were able to sit Gabriel Agreste down and get the whole story out of him. After he confessed everything, Adrien was still furious with him, upset over the revelation, and hurt at the betrayal, but Marinette's compassion and soothing presence tempered his anger into a quiet, sullen disgust.

And really, he couldn't bring himself to hate what his father wanted to do—just the incredibly insane, dangerous, amoral way he went about it.

After the fact, Gabriel Agreste had gone to the mayor directly and confessed everything, with Ladybug and Chat Noir at his side. He made a personal request of the mayor: whatever happened to him and to his company, Adrien should not bear any of his punishment. Mayor Bourgeois had agreed, and used his clout to prevent Adrien from suffering the fallout of being a supervillain's son.

Of course, the Gabriel brand was no more, the mansion had been seized, and Adrien was left with a rather sizeable trust fund that would put him through university and give him a comfortable enough life after. Nathalie Sancoeur had fled the country before her role in Hawk Moth's reign of terror could come under scrutiny, and Adrien couldn't bring himself to do anything about it except wish her well. Gorilla had been hired by Mayor Bourgeois, as he had no part in any of Hawk Moth's criminal mischief.

As for Adrien, he'd been taken in by Marinette's family, and their love and support had carried him through hard days. With the love of his life by his side and his friends around him, he'd achieved a state of contentment, even happiness, he hadn't felt since before his mother's disappearance.

And then a week ago, their world had been thrown out of balance again.

Master Fu had passed away. By the time Wayzz was able to make his way to Marinette to tell her, someone had burglarized his home. The Miraculous had been stolen—all of them except for the Turtle, which Ladybug had managed to recover at the morgue. On their off hours, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the few friends who were in the know scoured the city, searching for any hint as to what had become of the lost Miraculous.

"How bad can it really be, though?" Alya asked as she, Adrien, and Marinette sat in the park, taking a break and comparing history notes. "I mean, Hawk Moth knew _exactly_ what he had and what he was doing, but how many people are likely to just randomly activate and misuse a Miraculous?"

"After the whole Volpina thing, we can't be sure it won't happen," Adrien said. "Even though Lila was Akumatized, the whole thing with her was proof that you don't have to be an evil mastermind to have bad intentions, and people with bad intentions who get superpowers..." He shuddered.

"He's right," Marinette said. "We have to be—"

A cacophony of screams rang out, along with a series of explosions and a loud, maniacal cackle. The three teens tensed. Alya's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Okay, the timing on that is just spooky," she said.

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, nodded once, and took off running. Forty seconds later, Ladybug and Chat Noir were speeding across the city in the direction of the screams.

"So what do you think we're gonna find today?" Chat Noir asked, trying to keep his tone light. "Annoyed postal worker? Angry giant baby? Terrorists?"

"Don't even joke about that last one," Ladybug said tersely.

"Right, my bad." They soon arrived on the scene of pure chaos. A man with pale purple skin and stiff dark red hair brushed into a forward-swept style that resembled a torch stood outside the TVi studio building. He wore a dark purple spandex bodysuit with a broad white stripe down the center and a large black star-shaped medallion hanging around his neck. A black headband was wrapped around his head, holding his flaming hair up. His eyes were framed by a dark purple mask that looked like a cross between the letter X and a butterfly. In one hand, he held a large golden microphone.

"Hello, Paris!" he yelled. "I'm SUPERSTAR! I don't care _what_ those hacks in the media say, I'll ALWAYS be number one! _**BA-BAM!**_ " With that last utterance, several windows in the TVi building exploded, raining busted glass on a crowd of bystanders who were screaming and running for cover.

Ladybug and Chat Noir ducked behind a hedge, staring at each other in shock and horror. "No," Chat Noir whispered.

"It...it can't be," Ladybug said.

Chat Noir clenched a fist, eyes narrowed. "Hawk Moth..."

"It's impossible!" Ladybug said. "He's in prison! There's no way he could've gotten the Miraculous back!"

"BRING ME JAGGED STONE!" Superstar bellowed. "I want all of Paris to watch as I _blow him off the charts!_ " More windows exploded.

Ladybug's face settled into a determined, serious look. "Okay, that's definitely XY," she said.

Chat Noir took in his partner's change in demeanor and nodded, eyes sharp and serious. "Yeah, he didn't even change that much," he said. He peered over the hedge, then crouched back down. "The Akuma's either in the microphone or that huge piece of bling."

"Probably the bling," Ladybug said. "If...if this really _is_ an Akuma..."

Chat Noir flexed his claws. "What else _could_ it be?"

"Fair point." Ladybug nodded, then leapt over the hedge, spinning her yo-yo. Chat Noir was right behind her.

"Superstar!" Ladybug yelled. "You're about to become a no-hit wonder!"

Superstar grinned. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! So good of you to come! I know you both want my autograph, since I'm about to _blow up!_ " A series of explosions rocked the ground; asphalt and debris sprayed into the air, peppering the two heroes as they landed. They covered their faces against the assault, then went on the attack.

The battle against Superstar raged across three city blocks. After one of Superstar's explosion attacks set an entire block on fire, Chat Noir used his Cataclysm to break open all the fire hydrants along the street. While he battled the blaze, Ladybug used her Lucky Charm, which gave her a ladybug-patterned microphone. She used the feedback from her microphone to cause Superstar's weapon to explode, after which she yanked the black star medallion off his chest and broke it.

Chat Noir landed beside her just as a purple-black butterfly flapped madly into the sky, trying to escape. Mouth set in a grim line, Ladybug wordlessly captured the Akuma and purified it, releasing a white butterfly. She then threw the microphone into the sky for her Miraculous Ladybug cure; once the damage from the battle was repaired, she stalked hurriedly away, her shoulders squared in anger, confusion, and dismay. Chat Noir followed her, his tail stiff and his claws curling in anger.

Two blocks away, Marinette leaned against an alley wall, pale and shaking. Her wide, terrified blue eyes searched Adrien's furious, haunted green ones. "It's him," she whispered. "It's really him. He's...he's back..."

"I can't believe it," Adrien snarled. "I can't _believe it!_ "

Tikki and Plagg watched their partners sadly, sharing a look of confusion and worry.

* * *

The new owner of the Butterfly Miraculous chuckled softly. "Heh...that was cool." A smile curved a pair of pale lips. **"Nooroo, dark wings fall."**

In a pink flash and a flurry of glowing butterflies, the transformation fell away. Nooroo reappeared, smiling at his new master. "See? I told you you'd enjoy it."

"Yeah."

"So...wanna keep playing together?"

The new Hawk Moth grinned, brushing a strand of hair away from a rose-colored eye. "That'd be _so_ awesome..."

 **À SUIVRE...**

* * *

 _Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained on this page is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged._


	2. Canceller

**Author's Notes:**

Some reader replies:  
Tatsurou-san: Yep. They're from season 2.  
Kitsudragon: You're overthinking it. Like, a lot. :P Think Shego in Kim Possible.

Enjoy!

 **MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: "NOOROO: DARK WINGS RISE"**

 _by Mythril Moth_

* * *

 **"CANCELLER"**

* * *

 **TVi Exclusive**  
 _ **The Return of Hawk Moth?!**_

 _Earlier today, these offices were attacked by an Akuma calling himself Superstar, in reality fading pop sensation XY. Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared promptly to defeat the Akuma as always, but the appearance of the first Akuma in five months raises a number of questions and brings new terror to a Paris recovering from over a year of supervillain attacks._

 _Has Hawk Moth returned? Will Paris ever be free of this supervillain? We've tried to reach out to Ladybug and Chat Noir for comment, but our heroes remain silent. In the meantime, Mayor Bourgeois has issued a statement urging Parisians to remain calm and not panic..._

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood across the large, ornate, expensive desk from Mayor Andre Bourgeois. A palpable tension hung in the air.

The mayor looked frightened, angry, and nervous all at once. "I thought this was over," he said. "You two brought a man I've known for years into my office, told me he was secretly the supervillain terrorizing my city, and swore it was all over."

Chat Noir bowed his head and gritted his teeth. Ladybug glanced at him, then at the Mayor. She sighed. "The Butterfly Miraculous, the thing that gave Hawk Moth his powers...it's been stolen."

"Stolen," Mayor Bourgeois repeated, stonefaced.

"After we defeated Hawk Moth, we returned his Miraculous to the Guardian, the old man whose duty it is to protect the Miraculous and their secrets," Ladybug continued. "The one who gave us ours in the first place. The thing is..." She bowed her head. "He recently passed away."

"My word," the mayor said, paling. "Was he...was it—?"

"Natural causes," Ladybug assured him quickly. "He was over one hundred and eighty years old."

The mayor's jaw dropped. "A _hundred_ and _**eighty?!**_ "

"Before we were notified of his passing, his home was burglarized," Chat Noir picked up the tale.

Roger Raincomprix, who had been standing sternly off to the side during the entire interview, frowned. "Are you talking about an old Chinese chiropractor who had a little clinic about six blocks from here?"

"That's him," Ladybug said.

Mayor Bourgeois flashed Roger a stern look. "I think this burglary just became your top priority, don't you?"

"Y-yes sir!"

Mayor Bourgeois turned his attention back to the young heroes. "So, this Miraculous was stolen from a dead man's home, and now Hawk Moth has returned?"

"That seems to be the case," Ladybug said.

"I don't get it," Roger said, scratching his head. "Gabriel Agreste is in prison. He's under guard. All his mail is searched. It isn't possible."

"That's what we intend to find out," Chat Noir said hoarsely, curling his claws into fists.

"Monsieur Mayor, Master Fu had other Miraculous," Ladybug said. "They need to be found and returned to..." She paused, then grimaced. "Well, I guess I need to hold onto them for now. I think that's what Master Fu would've wanted."

"I agree," Chat Noir said. "Without a Guardian, Ladybug is the only one who can be trusted to keep the Miraculous safe."

"If you'll give me a description of the stolen property, I'll spread the word," Roger said.

"It might not be that simple, but we'll try," Ladybug said. "If somebody's already using them, they'll be indistinguishable from normal jewelry." She shrugged. "I mean, when I'm not Ladybug, my Miraculous look like cheap earrings you can buy anywhere."

"And just how many new supervillains are we expected to endure?" Mayor Bourgeois asked.

Ladybug winced. "I assume you mean 'besides Hawk Moth and his Akumas'..." She shook her head. "I'd like to think if the other Miraculous have been activated, the people they found their way to will be good, not bad. But..." She sighed. "There are three others unaccounted for: the Bee, Fox, and Peacock."

Roger frowned. "Wait, don't the Bee and the Fox work _with_ you two?"

"That's...a long story," Chat Noir said. "Suffice it to say, they retired after Hawk Moth was defeated."

"We'll...we'll do our best to put an end to this quickly," Ladybug said. "We're as tired of fighting Hawk Moth's Akumas as Paris is of being terrorized. I promise, we'll bring an end to this as quickly as possible."

Mayor Bourgeois frowned. "See to it you do," he said.

* * *

The newest supervillain in Paris watched Nooroo eat. "So every time we do one of these Akuma things, you have to eat before I can transform again?"

"That's right," Nooroo said. "Same for all the Kwamis. You notice how Ladybug and Chat Noir disappear during a fight sometimes? It's usually because they used their special attack and had to run away and feed their Kwami."

"I see." A long pause. "So...how many, I mean, what are the limits on—"

"Usually I can only make one Akuma at a time," Nooroo said. "In a pinch I can do two at once, but it really wears me out. You won't be able to control the Akuma." He smiled. "Not that it's really a problem since we're just letting them run wild."

His new owner smirked. "Heh." A mild frown. "This...this is okay, right? It's not really hurting anybody? I mean—"

"Like I said, Ladybug and Chat Noir win every time and fix all the damage," Nooroo said. "And sometimes somebody even learns an important lesson and becomes a better person after it! Or it's Chloé and she just keeps being the same pest as always, but she deserves whatever happens to her." Nooroo shrugged. "Think of it this way: everybody loves superheroes, but what good is a superhero without a supervillain? Without Hawk Moth, Ladybug and Chat Noir don't have a reason to keep being heroes, and they might retire and disappear. Think about how sad that'd make so many people."

"Huh." The new Hawk Moth thought about that for a long moment. "So, umm...should I act like I have some kind of goal here? The old Hawk Moth, he was after their Miraculous, right? Wasn't that the thing?"

Nooroo snorted. "Don't worry about what _he_ wanted. Be your own villain! There's nothing wrong whatsoever with creating chaos for no reason! It's _fun!_ "

"Be my own villain, huh?" The new holder of the Butterfly Miraculous frowned thoughtfully. "Can I go by a different name, then? 'Hawk Moth' isn't my style."

Nooroo giggled. "Do whatever you want, you're in charge now. And trust me. Everything'll be fine. Just do what you did today, and keep doing it. And hey, they'll _never_ suspect _you_..."

* * *

The guard opened the door, and Adrien walked into the solitary visitation room. His father, still the perfect picture of composure and command even in a prison jumpsuit, sat at a small table; Adrien took the seat across from him.

"Adrien," Gabriel said, inclining his head.

"How did you do it?" Adrien asked, barely containing his fury. "How did you get the Miraculous back? How can you be Hawk Moth again?"

Gabriel frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play games with me!" Adrien snapped. "Ladybug and Chat Noir fought a new Akuma today! We know the Miraculous were stolen from Master Fu's house the night he died! Who'd you pay to—"

Gabriel sat back, a stricken look on his face. _"What?!"_ he whispered.

"Don't play dumb," Adrien snarled. "Where is it? I'll strip you naked right in front of the guard and—"

"Adrien," Gabriel said sharply, placing his hands on the table. "Listen to me. I am not Hawk Moth. Not anymore. I do not have the Miraculous. Until you walked through that door, I was aware of none of this."

Adrien snorted. "You expect me to believe you?"

"Yes, because I'm telling the truth," Gabriel said. He took a deep breath. "Did it never occur to you that _anyone_ who possesses the Butterfly Miraculous could do what I did with it?"

Adrien's brow furrowed. "Well...it's possible," he admitted. "But they'd have to know what it was, what it could do, and...and the only way to find that out is from you or your Kwami." He shook his head. "There's no way a Kwami would just..."

Gabriel frowned, his eyebrows drawing together. "Adrien," he said quietly. "When I first began using that Miraculous, Nooroo was terrified of me, terrified of what I planned. Opposed it. I didn't care, I was obsessed with my own ambitions." He looked down at the table. "I...didn't notice it, because of my own obsession, but over time, Nooroo became...less resistant to my actions." He smirked. "Indeed, at times, he seemed more curious than anything, especially the time I Akumatized _myself_." He scratched his chin, the chain of his cuffs rattling. "I wonder..."

Adrien's brow creased, his eyes clouded with worry and doubt. "Father...you're not suggesting a _Kwami_ is the new supervillain of Paris?"

"Of course not," Gabriel said impatiently. "The Kwami cannot act without a Miraculous user." He looked into his son's eyes. "What I'm suggesting is...what if my tenure as his master has corrupted Nooroo?" He sat back, lost in thought. "If the Butterfly Miraculous was activated by someone, and Nooroo..."

Adrien blinked. "You seriously think Nooroo would teach somebody how to be Hawk Moth?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I'm suggesting it's a possibility," he said. "Seeing as I am in prison and know very little of what's going on outside these walls, I can only speculate." His eyes bore into Adrien's again. "But I know who you can ask."

Adrien frowned. "Alright. The important thing is that you're not still Hawk Moth. But that means..." He sighed. "Alright. Goodbye, Father."

Adrien waited until he was a good distance from the prison to find a quiet, out of the way place, then opened his jacket and released Plagg. "Well?" he asked.

Plagg had a thoughtful, somewhat perturbed look on his face. "Nooroo, turn evil?" He shook his head. "I can't see it, but a lot of what your father said made sense in a way. How would a new Hawk Moth even know they had such a power unless Nooroo specifically told them so?" He sighed. "We need to talk to Tikki and Wayzz. I don't like where this is going."

"Neither do I," Adrien said, a queasy feeling spreading through his belly.

* * *

In an ordinary, comfortable family home in Paris, a husband and father with thinning hair and a paunch sat, trying to watch the news in peace.

Trying, but not succeeding.

Upstairs, his teenage son's stereo was on full blast, shaking the second floor with loud rock music. In the den, the baby was screaming in her playpen. _Why did we even have another kid at our age?_ The middle child, who was taking singing lessons (that were costing him a small fortune), kept belting out some obnoxious pop song over and over again as she wandered around the house doing chores. Maman was banging around in the kitchen, letting out streams of obscenities whenever she dropped a pot or cut herself with the knife.

He'd tried getting his son to turn down the music, but his son insisted he had to keep the music turned up to drown out the sister, because his headphones (that cost far too much money) weren't doing the job. The sister wouldn't shut up because her dreams were to become a famous singer and she'd never make it if she didn't practice. The baby couldn't be consoled when she wanted to have a good scream...which was often. And Maman, well...

He sighed, scrubbing a hand through his thinning hair. _I wish they'd all just shut up. Just for five minutes. Just five minutes of blissful silence, that's all I ask! I provide for this family, can't they give me some peace?_

* * *

"I feel it...a man not at peace in his own home, surrounded by constant noise..."

A white butterfly landed in a gloved palm. The other hand covered it, spreading a black and purple taint over its snowy wings.

"Fly away, my beautiful Akuma! Darken his heart!"

The Akuma flapped its way across two city blocks, flying into the house where the man sat, drumming his fingers angrily, clenching the TV remote in a white-knuckled grip. The Akuma sank into the remote, and the man stiffened, a shadow spreading across his face as a lavender hologram of a butterfly appeared around his eyes.

 **Canceller. I am Papillon Noir. I give you the power to eliminate all noise from Paris. Go forth! Enjoy a world of silence!**

The beleaguered middle-aged father grinned. "Silence is golden," he said as an oily dark magical mist bubbled over him, transforming him...

* * *

Tikki's jaw dropped as Adrien relayed what he'd heard from Gabriel. "You've got to be kidding me," she said.

Marinette's reaction was the same. "I don't believe it," she said. "This has to be...has to be some backup plan, or...or some failsafe..." She shook her head. "Maybe Nathalie is still in the country, and she's recovered the Miraculous to keep—"

"It's not Nathalie," Adrien said. "She wouldn't...she saw how angry and upset I was after we exposed Father. There'd be nothing for her to gain by picking up where he left off, nor would there be anything for _him_ to gain."

"Considering she _helped him_ do all those terrible things, it's easier to believe than a Kwami turning evil," Marinette said darkly.

"Ladybug has a point," Plagg said, "and I don't think we should rule out Nathalie completely, but...I agree with Adrien. She was the one human being in that house who _really_ cared about him. I don't see her doing this. She wouldn't put him through this again."

"But that doesn't mean Nooroo turned evil on his own," Wayzz said. "I mean, Kwamis just...just don't _turn evil_. We've been around for the entirety of human history and no such thing has _ever_ happened. It's not as if Hawk Moth was the first evil Miraculous _user_ , but..."

"But it's not completely _impossible_ , right?" Adrien asked. "I mean, theoretically, _could_ a Kwami just snap and turn evil?"

Plagg, Tikki, and Wayzz looked at each other. Their faces were lost, helpless, and desperately worried. "We don't know," Tikki said softly. "We really, truly...don't know."

"Just because it's never happened before," Plagg said gravely, "doesn't mean it _couldn't_ happen. And Nooroo, well..."

"Nooroo has a very mild personality and what you might call a weak temperament," Wayzz said. "Of all of us, Nooroo has the weakest will and the least inclination to question or advise his master." He hummed contemplatively. "Given how long he was being misused..." He shrugged. "I couldn't say for certain, but it's possible that he... _changed._ "

"I'm not ready to blame this new Hawk Moth on a Kwami," Marinette said firmly. "A Kwami can't do anything on their own, in any case. There's somebody out there who has the Butterfly Miraculous and is using it to become Hawk Moth and Akumatize people. Right now, that's our concern. Just like before, we need to find this new Hawk Moth and stop them."

"It would help if we could find the thieves who burgled Master's home," Wayzz said with a tinge of anger. "We find the thieves, we find out what happened to the Miraculous."

"And unfortunately, we're not the best at that kind of detective work," Adrien said with a grimace. "We'll have to rely on the police."

"That doesn't mean we just sit on our—" Marinette's phone rang. "Hold on." She glanced at the screen. "It's Alya." She pressed call. "Hello, Alya? What's up, did you find something?"

On the screen, Alya's mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. Marinette frowned. "What's wrong with your phone? Or is it my phone? Hold on, Alya, we can't hear you—"

Alya facepalmed, muttered something inaudible, and slashed her finger across her throat. She then disconnected.

Adrien frowned. "Huh. That was weird."

A second later, Marinette got a text message from Alya, with a photo attached.

 _Akuma! Get over to the Louvre, hurry!_ The picture was of a middle-aged man in a dark blue bodysuit with white boots and gloves, a white butterfly-shaped mask over his eyes, and a bright red muted speaker icon on his chest. In each hand, he held a large red megaphone.

The two teen heroes looked at each other and nodded. "We'll worry about the investigation later," Marinette said. _**"Tikki, spots on!"**_

 _ **"Plagg, claws out!"**_

As Ladybug and Chat Noir took off, Wayzz floated lazily in place where they'd been talking. "I'll...just wait here," he said. He sighed, floated into the nearest tree, and nibbled on a leaf.

* * *

Alya and Nino hid behind a barricade, peering over it occasionally at the eerily silent chaos.

Everywhere they looked, people were running and screaming soundlessly. Cars were crashing into each other because the drivers couldn't honk their horns. A few people had nearly been run over because they couldn't hear the oncoming cars.

Above it all, Canceller stood on the glass pyramid, aiming his twin megaphones at everything. Every time he pulled the triggers, a wave of white noise issued forth that erased the sound from somebody or something else. The police were screaming into megaphones to no avail. Everything was dead quiet.

Through the deafening silence, the whir of a baton and a yo-yo wire were louder than gunfire as Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived on the scene.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" Canceller greeted, jumping down and advancing with his megaphones aimed. "The two most noisome pests in what used to be a quiet, sleepy city!"

Chat Noir blinked. "Paris, quiet? Are you for real? Is he for real?" Ladybug could only shrug bemusedly in reply.

"SILENCE! I, Canceller, will cancel out all the NOISE in this city, including you two obnoxious brats!"

"The only thing that's gonna be cancelled here is _you_ , Canceller!" Ladybug declared defiantly. "And then we're gonna cancel the supervillain who gave you your powers!"

Canceller laughed obnoxiously. "Children should be seen and not heard!" He aimed at Ladybug and pulled his triggers. Chat Noir immediately stepped in, knocking her out of the way.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called. As the white noise washed over him, Chat Noir turned to flash a grin and a thumbs-up at Ladybug. He opened his mouth to crack a lame pun, but nothing came out. He paused, blinked, then clutched at his throat in wide-eyed terror.

"HAHA!" Canceller crowed. "I have stolen this cat's meow!"

Ladybug groaned. "And yet I'm still having to put up with obnoxious puns today," she muttered. "Chat Noir, can you still fight?"

Chat Noir nodded, readying his baton. The duo charged Canceller, with Ladybug breaking left to avoid another white sound rush. Chat Noir powered through, taking the Akuma on up close. Canceller adjusted the dials on one of his megaphones, then pulled the trigger.

A foghorn blast of pure sound hit Chat Noir, sending him flying. He crashed into the glass pyramid, breaking a pane.

"CHAT NOIR!" Ladybug cried.

"BEHOLD!" Canceller yelled. "THIS is the pain I live with every day! A wall of physically repulsive NOISE!" He aimed at Ladybug, squeezing off another sonic blast. Ladybug spun her yo-yo and dug in, bracing against the sonic assault; her ears pounded and she felt her pulse quicken from the strain.

"Okay," Ladybug ground out through clenched teeth, "I can see where _that_ much noise would be bad for your heart, but..." The blast abated, and Ladybug launched herself forward, yo-yo spinning above her head. "You can't deafen an entire city just because an entire city is deafening!" she yelled as she let loose with her yo-yo, knocking away one of Canceller's megaphones.

Chat Noir landed next to her and gave her a look that said 'Did you hear yourself just now?' Ladybug facepalmed. "Yes, I heard what I just said," she said flatly. "I'm not on top of my banter game today."

"Then just BE QUIET!" Canceller exclaimed, firing another white noise blast. Ladybug rolled out of the way, snagged a park bench with her yo-yo, and slammed it into Canceller's face; he went down in a heap, snarling obscenities.

"For a guy who hates noise so much, you sure don't mind making it," Ladybug said as she approached him. "Now, let's find that Akuma—"

She didn't hear the bus coming toward her. She didn't even see it. Chat Noir tried to yell, but he couldn't, nor could he reach her in time.

The out of control bus smashed headlong into Ladybug, sending her flying through the glass pyramid. Chat Noir screamed soundlessly, taking off in hot pursuit. Canceller rose to his feet and picked up his other megaphone, giving chase, using sonic blasts to rapidly demolish the pyramid.

Ladybug picked herself up, groaning and brushing crushed glass off her body. "Thank god for being virtually indestructible," she muttered as she picked glass out of her hair. Chat Noir landed next to her, clearly in a panic. She sighed. "I'm _fine_ , minou. Just...just really, really over this guy." As she stood up, she let out a short, loud, sputtering fart. She blinked.

Chat Noir blinked...then doubled over in a silent belly laugh.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. " _That_ sound, I wouldn't mind him cancelling," she said flatly. Shaking her head, she threw her yo-yo skyward. "Time to mute this Akuma! **LUCKY CHARM!** "

In a swirl of pink and white lights, the Lucky Charm took shape, in the form of a giant Tikki plushie. Ladybug blinked as she caught it. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she wondered. As Chat Noir distracted Canceller, who was firing off destructive sonic blasts, she glanced around. Her eyes landed on the megaphone firing the sonic blasts, and she nodded firmly. She charged forward, holding the Tikki plushie in front of her. Canceller noticed her and started shooting at her, but the stuffing in the plushie dampened the sound, and Ladybug was able to keep her footing. As she drew close, she let out a determined yell and stuffed the plushie into the sound gun. It sparked violently.

Grinning, Chat Noir pirhouetted around Canceller and sharply cracked his baton across the other megaphone, smashing it. The Akuma fluttered out, its purple and black wings flapping madly.

"Oh no you don't," Ladybug said, dropping her yo-yo to the ground and sweeping it back and forth. "I'm freeing you from evil!" Swinging out her yo-yo, she captured it, then released it. Canceller dropped to his hands and knees, his transformation reversing, revealing a balding fortysomething man.

Ladybug threw the Tikki plushie into the air.

 _ **"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"**_

A wave of pink, white, and red magical ladybugs swept across Paris, repairing all the damage caused by the Akuma. The city's usual noise returned in a swift rush, nearly deafening the two heroes.

"Pound it!" they cried, bumping fists.

"Ah, it's so good to have my sultry voice back," Chat Noir said with a grin.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "So you can go out back and yowl all night with the other strays?" she teased.

"Mee-owch!"

Ladybug giggled. "Well, I guess that's that. Let's get back to—" Her yo-yo beeped. She blinked and glanced at it, noticing the green Incoming Call light showing on the center dot. "Huh?"

Chat Noir blinked. "A call? From who?"

Frowning, Ladybug opened her yo-yo. "Hello?"

The screen was blank, but a deep, husky female voice issued out clearly from the speaker.

 _"Ladybug. Chat Noir. This is Papillon Noir. Congratulations on your victory today. I look forward to our next little game..."_ With a chuckle, the call ended.

"What—wait!" Ladybug cried. "GAH!"

Chat Noir frowned, head tilted. "The new Hawk Moth...is a girl?"

"Papillon Noir..." Ladybug clenched her yo-yo tightly, her eyes blazing with determination. "I won't forgive this person, treating this like a game!"

Alya ran up to them, Nino at her side. "Ladybug! Care to give a statement for the Ladyblog?"

Remembering to play along, Ladybug nodded firmly. "We've just learned that the new villain using Hawk Moth's powers is female, and calls herself Papillon Noir. I make this promise to Paris: We stopped Hawk Moth, and we'll stop Papillon Noir!" With that, she swung away on her yo-yo, Chat Noir right behind her.

Once they were gone, Alya and Nino turned to each other, speaking in hushed, serious tones as they walked away. "So we're looking for a girl who has the Butterfly Miraculous," Nino said.

"Or a woman," Alya added. She frowned. "What happened to Wayzz? Shouldn't he have been with them?"

Nino shrugged. "He'll show up. Too bad they didn't think to bring him along, though." He fingered the bracelet on his wrist. "I bet I could've helped with this one."

Alya smirked. "The DJ versus the noise canceller? Yeah, that would've been something." She shook her head. "Come on, the sooner we get that info on the Ladyblog, the sooner the police will know to search for a woman thief."

* * *

Nooroo clutched his belly and laughed. "That was _brilliant!_ " he said. "Calling them and taunting them! Hawk Moth _never_ thought of that! He just liked to rant to his butterflies in a dark room!"

Papillon Noir smiled, running pale fingers through her long, dark hair. "It just seems like a villain thing to do, taunt the heroes. I can't believe I even get WiFi on that cane..." She fingered the Butterfly Miraculous. "Hmm. I need a less obvious way of wearing this," she mused.

"What did you have in mind?" Nooroo asked.

Papillon Noir looked at the back of her right hand. "Hmm..." She smiled. "That might work..."

 **À SUIVRE...**

* * *

 _Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained on this page is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged._


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